A teenager who fled war-torn Kosovo walked away with &#xA3;1,000 from our Young Achiever Awards.

Edalioda Zela, 18, escaped from the horrors of her homeland four years ago travelling in the back of a freezing lorry across Europe.

She was unable to speak English and the future looked bleak for the family but she went on to pass nine GCSE's and is now studying five A-levels.

After attending a summer school at Oxford University Eda hopes to gain a place there next year to study law.

The teenager delighted teachers at Lord Lawson of Beamish School and her teacher Alison Jordan decided to nominate her for the awards last year.

Mrs Jordan said: "Eda is doing so well with her studies she has amazed us all with her positive attitude and perseverance.

"If anyone knows someone who could be put forward for an award I would encourage them to do it. There are a lot of hard working youngsters who don't get any recognition and quite often they have had to work through difficult circumstances to achieve great things."

Eda said: "I had an amazing time at the awards. It is something I will always look back on and remember with fond memories.

"I've loved being in the North East, everyone is so friendly and I made a lot of friends at school."

The Young Achiever Awards are open to young people aged 14 to 21 who have lived in the Chronicle's circulation area for two years. There are 12 categories - GCSE, A-level, GNVQ/AVCE, NVQ, apprenticeship, undergraduate student, sports, business, arts, technology, community and special, for young people who have made significant progress towards fulfilling ambitions. The winner in each category will receive &#xA3;1,000 and a trophy. Runners-up receive &#xA3;250.